Azuki bean soup

Azuki (or adzuki) bean is grown in East Asia, genetic evidence indicates that the azuki bean was first domesticated in the Himalayas. It is second most popular in Japan after soybean. Azuki bean is commonly eaten as a sweet dish, but this is a savoury dish, recipe of which I found in here. It claims that it helps diminish the appearance of dark circles around the eyes by cleansing the body and it's a great diuretic.

3 cups of azuki beans soaked overnight
2 tbsp of cumin
1 tsp of white pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 diced carrots
2 tbsp of finely chopped fresh ginger
3 cloves of garlic
1 large onion
1 lime juice
3 tbsp of fresh chopped coriander leaves

Put the soaked beans into a pot, cover in cold water and bring to boil. Drain the beans, then add fresh cold water again. Simmer for 30 minutes, then add cumin and white pepper. In a frying pan, sauté diced onion, carrots, ginger and crushed garlic until tender. Add this mixture to the beans, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until beans are cooked through. During the last 15 minutes only, add salt to taste. Adding the salt any earlier will harden the beans. Just before serving, add lime juice and coriander.

Rice Noodles with Tender Sweet-Chilli Meatballs

800 g pork mince
2-3 cm piece ginger, grated
2 chopped garlic cloves
60 ml sweet chilli sauce
4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
200 g rice noodles
1/2 cucumber
1 small red onion
handful of mint leaves

Mix pork, ginger, garlic, 1 tpsp of chilli sauce and half of the coriander in a bowl. Roll into walnut-sized balls and bake in a pre-heated oven (180C) for 20 min.
Place the remaining sauce in a bowl and dip meatballs one by one, then return them to the oven for another 5 minutes.
Prepare the rice noodles according to the packet instructions. Slice cucumber and onion and combine them with mint and remaining coriander.